AJ is the guy behind the bar who enjoys conversations that start with wandering the great outdoors, glide into politics, stumble through pop culture, joke about comedy, reiterate sports commentary, and land safely in music. Also, he hates run-on sentences. AJ is originally from Atlanta, which he proudly claims as the cultural Mecca of the world, and the source for any creative inspiration flowing through his head. A writer by trade, he found his footing in advertising; brainwashing you with silly jokes, infectious tag lines, and Sarah McLaughlin songs. While he would never dare don the label of a comic, he also would never miss the opportunity to crack a joke. Still, poetry was always his first love and his most consistent creative outlet. You can find him on Instagram @philosophical_chillin, where he does have a collection of photography but is rarely active these days. On his website at ajshap.com. Or at the Mercury Cafe on Friday nights, where you are more than welcome to come hang, order food, get drinks or coffee, and tip the staff really really well.

In this Episode: 1. The Reason I Write 2. Peter Pan Complex 3. Love Games 4. I Will Never Forget You 5. Reaching for the Moon 6. Untitled 7. Dear Lover 8. Lupe 9. Method Man

Alyssa Nadolny is a gifted poet with a lifelong passion for writing. Her debut book, "Dissociative Fusion," is a collection of poems that showcases her unique perspective and poetic voice. Alyssa believes that her writing is not solely her own creation, but rather a collaboration with spirit. She sees herself as a conduit for inspiration, and her poetry is a reflection of her deep connection to the world around her. With her debut publication, Alyssa invites readers to join her on a journey of self-discovery and introspection through the power of poetry.

Follow Alyssa on IG @poetry_and_prophesy and find more information at her website.

Dissociative Fusion is available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble

In this episode:

Multidimensional and always evolving, Old Turtle is the umbrella artist name for Kae Barcus and her many endeavors and outlets for creation — writing poetry and stream of consciousness prose, symbolistic universal flatwork creations of what she deems “Beings,” Clinical Herbalism (private 1:1 sessions and education), Yin Yoga private + group instruction (guiding people through the art of slowing down and surrender), music, massage therapy, wilderness exploration, shadow + light work, ceremonial psychedelic traveling, elemental play and becoming (communing with the four directions + fire, water, wind, earth, ether), finding balance and stillness and being the bridge for others to find their way home to the Earth (with Kae). 

Website in the works - Message Kae through Instagram @oldturtlekae or email [email protected] to book a session or to simply connect 

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Hear more from Kae on Soundcloud.

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Song: Be the Medicine by Old Turtle, produced by John Holt. Find John on Instagram @subocybin and on Soundcloud.

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Doctor Ricardo J. Bogaert-Álvarez is a retired Dominican-American chemical engineer and award-winning poet. He was born in Santiago, Dominican Republic and grew up in a hacienda. He obtained his B.S. in chemical engineering at the PUCMM[1] in Santiago. Then he attended the University of Delaware where he graduated with his chemical engineering masters and PhD. He has lived in the United States since 1981 and resides in Denver with his beloved wife Laura. He has published poems in the “El Sol” newspaper and in the magazines “The New Press” and “Ribbons” among other publications. He taught chemistry and chemical engineering in several universities. He has published four bilingual poetry books: “The Samurai Poet”, “The Dance of the Phoenix,” “Romance and Haiku Elixir” and now “Chronicles of a Young Dominican.” In those books, each poem is in Spanish and English. He is a member of the Columbine Poets, Inc, which is a poetry club at the state level in Colorado. In poetry contests of this club, he has won several awards. He also presented several workshops in that club. He’s also a member of the Tanka Society of America. He’s the treasurer of the Colorado Alliance of Latino Mentors and Author (CALMA)

[1] Pontificia Universidad Católica Madre y Maestra

In this episode:

Follow Niko on IG @nyxxpoetry

Pictured: Niko’s unofficial author’s photo for whenever he gets around to publishing something in a somewhat professional capacity.  Niko is a Denver native, freelance writer, musician, healthcare worker and casual open mic attendee. Writing is how he navigates life in all its messiness, high points, and all else in between. He hopes that through his writing he can help people feel seen and move others whether through humor, commentary on the existential dread that comes with adulthood, or more serious themes. Like holding an uncomfortable mirror to yourself at times. Needless to say, he doesn’t take his writing seriously or professionally but hopes it may be healing to anybody who comes by and listens. (Author’s note: good tea may be essential for the enjoyment of this episode) 

In this episode:

1. Introduction 2. A Conversational Checklist for Your Writer Friends 3. The Quiet Moments in the Car Before a Social Event 4. Smoke Signals 5. I Hate that You’re Happy 6. Chimera 7. An Artist’s Touch 8. Untitled (I Thought About Killing Myself Today) 9. Quiet Mind 10. Alchemic Recipe for a Less Reluctant Life 11. You Kill Radicalism with Pussy 12. Nineteen

When she dreams Maria travels to alternate realities. She's had some crazy adventures and gets a lot of her story ideas from there. She raised 5 kids, mostly as a single mom, and her identifier has been "so & so's mom" most of her life. She grew up partly in Colorado but mostly on her grandparents' farm where she got to do fun stuff like take care of the animals and drive tractors around. She started collecting comic books at age 8 (so became a nerd) and still buys them when she can afford it. She loves all things Marvel, especially the X-Men, but her 1st comic love will always be Elfquest. She's also addicted to watching anime and kdramas and recently started doing cosplay. She isn't sure if that made her a bigger nerd or if she's one of the cool kids now. 

She's always loved writing and started pursuing a bachelor's degree in journalism when she was 18, and finally got it 25 years later in 2017. After college she worked as a writer for Denver Parent and Ms Mayhem Magazine.

As one of her poems says, she's been through some shit. Stints of being unhoused with her mom, six years of very abusive relationship with her older kids' dad, alcoholism that led to losing her kids for a week, going to jail because she couldn't afford car insurance but still needed to get to work, and a dirt biking accident in 2007 that left her completely paralyzed. But it's hard to keep her down and eventually she learned to walk and move her arms and hands again.

In 2020, she lost her youngest daughter. She was only 22 when she died, and her death wasn't quick or painless. Eight months later, she started writing poetry as a way to deal with that loss. Her life has inspired her poetry, but she writes about her daughter and domestic violence the most.

She's published feature articles, op-eds, and personal essays, and hopes to publish her poetry one day. She's also working on a few short scripts that she intends to film. 

But none of that stuff pays the bills, so for now she has a few Airbnb rooms in her house and that's been its own experience, mostly good. 

Her therapy these days is poetry, riding on the bike trails in Aurora with her cat Pumpkin in a basket on the handlebars, and time with her grandbabies. 

She currently attends open mics at the Mercury Cafe, The Corner Beet, the Gypsy House cafe and is the opener poet at the Barfly for their Den Drama night. 

In this episode: 1. A Toast 2. Monster 3. Fucking Bob 4. The Weight of You

Sleepy is a dreamer the spirit world has decided to keep wide awake. With no other options to escape reality, he's infiltrated the poet community in Denver to talk shit, build community, and help create a world that doesn't need escaping from. 

1. A Revolutionary Love Poem 2. Puppet Man 3. I Am a Religious Man 4. Untitled 5. The Civilized Man 6. Drugs on Trial 7. A Good Soldier 8. Escape Artist 9. So Scientific

Nathan Pollack’s head is stuck in his own belly-button as a fourteen year-old raconteur/troubadour/swain, an old beatnik poet who never sold a line so he got a day job as a people doctor (not smart enough to be a veterinarian).  Even though he has read pretty well since the third grade he never learned to write well, so you get a gold star if you can listen to him without fainting.  He has read poems from an early age in coffee houses in his native Oklahoma, and when the sheriff ran him out, up and down the East coast wandering from school to school.  He has been reading in Denver for the past fifty years or so, especially at Bread and Butter evenings, Muddy’s Java Café, Faces, Café Euphrates, the Black Pearl, and recently at The Corner Beet and the Mercury Café (I thought I’d name those since only the Beet and the Merc still exist--I thought you might want a list of dead coffee houses).

BB is a nobody. A few months ago he started writing poetry and randomly walked into Mercury Cafe and took the stage at the open mic. He claims that he is not a person of words. This podcast he delves into his personal experiences and shares his insights on spirituality.

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We’d love to hear from you!

Questions? Comments? Email [email protected]